As the tumultuous 2011 comes down to its final day, this column could contain an obnoxious summary of the year’s extraordinary events. Rather than once again discussing the protests around the world, the death of Osama Bin Laden, Fukushima, America’s political ineptitude, Europe’s demise or the increasingly frightful weather patterns, here I attempt to predict what 2012 holds in store.

For one of the first times in his tenure as Speaker, John Boehner has made a statement with which every American, Republican or Democrat, should fully agree; the two-month Senate bipartisan extension of the payroll tax cut fails to fix the nation’s problems sufficiently. Providing a short-term band-aid to a long-term dilemma contradicts what a responsible government should accomplish, but fits the pattern of contemporary American politicking.

Mitt Romney is guilty of serial hypocrisy, Newt Gingrich is guilty of being a public intellectual constantly scrutinized by the media and others, and Ron Paul never ceases to remind me about one of my favorite quotes from Ralph Waldo Emerson’s Essays: “A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines.”

Jon Huntsman did not participate in the CNN Debate in Las Vegas on Tuesday night. Short of his family and small (and getting smaller) campaign staff, no one really noticed. In a bizarre and counterproductive effort to impress New Hampshire voters Huntsman skipped the debate to protest Nevada moving its caucus ahead of New Hampshire’s, which has always been the nation’s first primary. It’s bizarre because no one else skipped the debate. It’s counterproductive because right now, Jon Huntsman is polling 6% in New Hampshire.

For the past month a movement has grown out of Zuccoti Park in New York with the potential to grab at the very heart of America’s problems. “We are the 99%” is not simply a catchy phrase used by frustrated jobless Americans , but a commentary on the disgraceful economic inequality that has arisen in the United States since the 1970s.

Singapore was led to prosperity by the capitalist “socialists” in the People’s Action Party (PAP). Now that the PAP have been hotly contested, McCaffrey fears that the weaknesses of publicly-owned government will weaken Singapore.

Since Wisconsin became the first state to grant public employees the right to bargain collectively, a telling comparison can be made: while the unionized private-sector has decreased from roughly thirty percent of their workforce in the 1960s to roughly seven percent today, unions of employees in the public-sector have maintained a share of roughly forty percent. In the past two years, public-sector unions have been scrutinized on the national stage for abusing their bargaining rights and contributing to the fiscal disarray of many states. It is reasonable to wonder how these types of unions have come to thrive when their private-sector counterparts have not.

The arms race that characterized the Cold War of the 20th century seems like a mere vestige of history to those of us in the internet generation. In the post-Cold War world, news media tends to underplay that the knowledge and ability to transport nuclear arms is still central to the political climate of many countries as it was to the US and the USSR in the later half of the past century. Today, nuclear arms are a profitable business that require political maneuvers to circumvent regulations – which almost always fail to stop their proliferation.

Ambrose Bierce defines politics as “a strife of interests masquerading as a contest of principles. The conduct of public affairs for private advantage.” The last two decades of politics have seen a bloated budget, crazed spending, diplomatic crises, a total change of hands in Washington, and … lots of politicians. The names have changed, but the expanding structure of our War on Drugs-ing, healthcare-reforming policies from bureaucrats on Capitol Hill have stayed very much the same. In recent history, the government has consistently spent far more than it has taken in. The far left and the far right both find common ground in a principle that allows for the government to legislate away too many tax dollars on pet issues. The only debates seem to circulate around which issue gets priority in the hemorrhaging of tax dollars.

Since the 1980s, when one third of their population fell below the poverty line, the nation of Ireland has seen tremendous growth. This is a testament to the glory of a nation of people who had been purged of autonomy for hundreds of years. In fact, Ireland was one of the richest countries in the world in 2006. Maybe that had something to do with a fifth of the workforce employed to build houses; or that rents had fallen to less than one percent of the purchase price; or that in ten years lending to construction had risen from eight percent of Irish lending to twenty-eight percent. Really, though, it just seems like the Irish were destined for prosperity. Finally, after years of turmoil, the Irish had had financial greatness thrust upon them!

From February 10th to the 12th, the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) gathered 11,000 of the most influential right-wing politicians and their fans in Washington, DC. Whereas last years conference was charged by the prospect of winning back the House and the Senate, this year was all about the impending Republican nomination for President in 2012. This was even more complicated by the presence of more openly libertarian organizations and the controversy surrounding the participation of openly-gay groups. In short, it was the most uncouth gathering in recent CPAC history.

For some, the Egyptian riots have been a wake-up call to recognize poor steps in US foreign policy. The cries for freedom by the youth of Egypt have given them hope that freedom will materialize despite years of living under a perverted version. That would be nice, and I wish it would happen.

Peter Thiel has been making a splash lately by calling higher education “the next bubble” and claiming that “University administrators are the equivalent of subprime mortgage brokers, selling you a story that you should go into debt massively, that it’s not a consumption decision, it’s an investment decision. Actually, no, it’s a bad consumption decision. Most colleges are four-year parties.” And recent study from professors at NYU and UVA may have corroborated this theory.

The History Channel has pulled the plug on a recent TV miniseries about the Kennedy family. “Liberal filmmaker Robert Greenwald was behind a petition drive to get the movie shelved. A website, stopkennedysmears.com, was set up with a short film that attacked the miniseries. The decision was reminiscent of CBS’ 2003 decision not to air a miniseries based on the life of President Ronald Reagan, which had also attracted political controversy prior to airing. …. [Greenwald's] YouTube film quoted Sorenson, a former adviser to Kennedy, calling a script he had seen of “The Kennedys” vindictive and malicious. Sorenson said scenes in the script that depicted him meeting with President Kennedy did not occur.”

Today, I’m in the Financial District of New York, recovering from my Black Friday and Thursday’s delicious Thanksgiving meal. Sitting blocks away from Ground Zero is always a sobering reminder of how our world has changed in the past few years. While I generally think this in terms of threats of terrorism, walking by the lunch hour at the construction site for the future Freedom Tower reminded me of another way our country has changed…

For as long as I can remember, I have been an ardent contrarian. It came as no surprise to my parents, then, when I told them I decided to forgo traditional student jobs, and incorporate a political consulting firm with my great friend from high school instead. Rogers & McCaffrey (R&M) Political Group, LLC, has existed in some form or another for the past two years. We specialize in “new media” consulting and services for everyone from County Clerks to popular blogs. We also advise strategy for a number of campaigns, both political and socially-oriented, and own The Politicizer.

Election season has always brought with it a pleasant way of making me think about what I want to have. Campaign public relations are about marketing ideas to “your voice” and propping up traits that certain candidates allegedly hold. The practice is corny, but the idea is to vest your hopes that someone will bring your values to the legislature. This year, though, maybe because I am living far closer to the infamous political machine in Albany, NY than ever before, I have had an odd sadness come upon me at the thought of elections.

Kathleen McCaffrey, Editor
As of late, it has been hard to read a newspaper without mention of the movement for “equality” in regard to the treatment of homosexuals. Many of my friends who identify as being gay or bisexual have been incredibly outspoken about how they feel like second-class citizens for not being able to join the military or marry someone they love. The recent homosexual teen suicides have only augmented this fervor and brought the conversation about the way they are treated to the national stage.

Kathleen McCaffrey, Editor
Currently, I am studying philosophy and history at Cornell University. Though whenever I introduce myself to someone new who is familiar with my work at The Politicizer, they almost always assume that I am a politics major. That is not the case, though it is a warranted assumption. Usually my clarification is followed by someone inquiring why I am a philosophy major, and I think the controversy over this years most recent World Philosophy Day can help explain why.

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